HEALTH INFORMATION

Tocolytic Medicine

Tocolytics are medicines that are used to slow or stop the
contractions of a woman's uterus during pregnancy. They are typically given to
women who are in preterm labor to try to delay birth for 1 to 2 days.

This delay
may be needed for a variety of medical reasons, such as:

To allow time for a fetus's lungs to mature
after corticosteroid treatment.

To prevent labor until specialized
care is obtained that either the mother or fetus is expected to
need.

To relax the mother's uterine muscles before trying to turn a
breech fetus to the head-down position (external cephalic
version).

To reduce the stress on a baby who has a low heart rate
or other problem.

Examples of tocolytics include terbutaline,
magnesium sulfate, nifedipine, and indomethacin.

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